Mail-bag handler.



J. L. ADAM.

MAIL BAG HANDLER.

ArPLIoATIoN FILED SEPT. 25, 1909.

Patented DeG.28, 1909.

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Witwe/aoco? J. L. ADAM.

' MAIL BAG HANDLER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25, 1909.

`Pateni'd Deo.28, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN ADAM, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

MAIL-BAG HANDLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 25, 1909.

Patented Dec. 28, 1909. Serial No. 519,559.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN L. ADAM, a citizen of the United States, andresident of New Orleans, Orleans parish, State of Louisiana, haveinvented certain new and useful' 'Improvements 1n Mail-Bag Handlers; and

my preferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in thefollowing' full, clear, and exact description, terminating with a. claimparticularly specifying the novelty.

This invention relates to railway rolling stock, and more especially tothat class of devices known broadly as mail bag delivery andspecifically as catchers and cranes; and the object of the same is toprovide a device on the car adapted to coperate with another on a postat the station for an interchange or transfer of mail bags or packages.

In U. S. patents numbered 926,920, 926.927, and 926,228 issued to meJune 29, 1909 I cover broadly the principle and specifically the detailsof a. mail bag or freight transfer device of this general type expectingthat the holding and catching arms therein stand normally at rightangles to each other.

The present invention contemplates the utilization of the same generalprinciple of operation whereby the catcher engages the object caught andthen swings on its supporting pivot, but in the present case the holdingarm also swings on its supporting pivot which is independent of that ofthe catcher. Herein the normal angle of the holding' and catching armsis less than a right angle (preferably about 45 degrees) when thedevices are set for accomplishing a transfer. Also the present inventionincludes improved details in the support of the ring by its arm, andpossibly in the support of a number of mail bags or the like on said armrather than by the ring direct.

The following specification sets forth my preferred manner of carryingout these objects, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,wherein- Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the device on a carsupposed to be moving to the right and also of the device on a post asnear a station, the parts being in position ready for a transfer to takeplace. Fig'. 2 is an elevation of the post with the parts of this devicein the same position as shown in Fig. 1, a section through the supportsbeing here shown. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the devices as seen in Fig.1, and a horizontal section through the car, its doorway, and the upperplunger. Fig. 4 1s an enlarged hori- 'Zontal section on theline 444 of Fig'. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevation of the ring with a single object carriedthereby, and a section of the tip of the holding arm. Fig. G is anelevation of the ring and tip of the holding' arm, showing the meansprovided for holding several bags or objects to be caught.

In the drawings the numeral 100 designates the car having a doorway 105as usual,

and adjacent the same eyes 102 project outward from the car body andcarry anlupright shaft 11 journaled therein or an upright rod fasttherein. Between these eyes there are secured to the car body twohousings 140 each containing an expansive spring 12 which forces aplunger' 141 normally outward into engagement with the faces of a cam tobe described below. Each post l alongside the track is provided with alike upright shaft or rod, mounted in eyes which correspond in heightwith those on the car, and with like housings and plungers. Each uprightcarries near its lower end a holding arm 6 projecting radially therefromand slightly upbent, and near its upper end a catching arm or hook 7,either of which or both may be mounted loosely on the same. If theupright be a shaft, one arm may be fast thereon and the other loose', orif it be a non-rotary rod both arms will be loose thereon-the objectbeing. to permit them to swing in horizontal planes independently ofeach other.

The catching arm or hook 7 is mounted at its inner end on said upright,around which it has a cam 130 with two cam faces 131 set 90 degrees fromeach other (or thereabout) and at equal distances from its aXis ifprojected. skeleton construction for' the sake of lightness, and itsbody or main portion has an upper member 17 connected with it by a stop60. To the outer end of said member at 71 is pivoted a catch 70 whosefree end or tip is held in normal engagement with the tip 170 of thehook by a weight'72 at the upper end of the catch in rear of its pivot,or by any approved means forming no part of the present invention.

The holding arm which I by preference use in connection with theabove-described By preference this member is of catching arm comprises abody 6 slightly upbent (as seen in Fig. 2) from its inner end whichlatter is mounted on said upright 11, and around the same it has a cam132 with a single cam face 133 standing at right angles to its projectedaxis as best seen in Fig. 4. This member is provided in its outer endwith a socket 60 which may be of square or angular cross section, andbeneath said end there is secured to the arm a spring 40 having anupbent tip 41 passing over the end of the arm and normally slightlyacross said socket, as bestseen in Fig. 5.

The article holder employed in connection with this holding arm is bestillustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. It comprises a quite large metal ring 8having projecting from one side a radial spur 4 round in cross sectionand provided with a notch 42, the former adapted to enter the socket 60so that the tip 41 of the spring 40 may frictionally engage said notch.A single article such as a mail bag 2 will by preference be connecte-ddirectly to and supported by this ring at a point below the projectedaxis of the spur 4 by a strap 50, as seen in Fig. 5; but a plurality ofarticles or bags Vwill by preference be connected by snap hooks?) or thelike with individual smaller rings or eyeswhich will be mounted on andsupported by the arm 6, and the strap 50 will be passed through all theeyes 5 and buckled as at 51 through the main ring S. Thus the weight ofa heavy article or articles will be sustained by the arm 6 rather thanthe spur 4, and the latter will have little friction in its socket 60.The bending of the body of the arm 6 upward brings the axis of the ring8 about opposite the tip of the hook 7, as best seen in Fig. 2-remembering that the device on the car is mounted at the same heightfrom the ground as that on each post.

In my former patents above referred to wherein the two arms stood atright angles to each other, a swinging support was employed to hold theupright 11 out from the car or the post so that the catching arm whichprojected straight forward from said upright would be brought into thepath of the holder on the opposite device. In the present instance Idispense with the need for such swinging support and mount the uprightas closely to the car or the post as the eyes 102 and plungers and camswill permit-thereby saving materials7 mechanism, and cost. This I ampermitted to do because in operative position as shown in Fig. 3 thecams of the holding arms cause them to project at right angles to thetrack, and the proper cams of the hooks or catching arms cause them tostand oblique to the track and to the holding arms so that their tipsmove in paths out of line with the car, the post, and each other, but indirect line with the holders on the opposite devices. This isaccomplished by making the hooks 7 shorter than the arms 6 but of suchlength that when standing oblique the distance of their tips out fromtheir supports will complement the distance of the axis of the holdersout from their own supports.

lith the above construction of parts and the car moving in the directionof the arrows shown in Figs. 1 and 3, it will be clear that at themoment of impact the tip of the hook 7 on the car enters the ring Ssupported by the post and that of the hook on the post enters the ringon the car, both catches yielding to admit the rings. Further progressof the car then twists the spurs 4 within and draws them out of thesockets 60, the springtips 41 slipping out of the notches 42, and eachring with its bags or articles is transferred from one arm to theopposite hook. If said articles are supported on the arm 6 by individualrings or eyes 5, the latter are drawn off the arm by the strap 50 andfollow the ring in its transfer to the opposite device; and after thetransfer has taken place the agents at the station and in the carrespectively can readily detach the bags or articles from the ring oreye. v

I find by experiment that in-the transfer, the first action which takesplace is the impalement of the rings by the hooks which projectobliquely forward, the next is the simultaneous turning of all hooks andarms 45 degrees to the rear in the direction of motion which causes thespurs to be twisted in and then drawn out of the sockets, and finallythe hooks swing to a position at right angles to the line of travel andthe arms from a right-angle to an oblique position when further swingingof both hooks and arms is checked by the withdrawal of the spurs, whilethe rings become locked on the hooks by the catches. If it be but asingle transfer (as from the car to the post) instead of an interchangeof bags or articles, the arm on the car and the hook on the post willperform their work no matter what the position of the other arm andhook. If these have been set for a transfer as shown in Fig. 3, the tipof the hook will pass freely by the tip of the arm without contactingtherewith, as the arm needs the length added by the ring to bring itinto the path of the hook. The fact that the two hooks are shortpositively prevents their evercontacting with each other, and thedisposition of the cam faces on the hooks is such that they will notstand at right angles to the line of travel and hence cannot contactwith the arms.

The impact of a transfer or interchange will swing all hooks and armspart way to the rear against the tension of the springactuated plungers,after which they may be moved manually toward the car parallel with itswall, and across its doorway iio if the car should be moving in adirection opposite to the arrow in Fig. 3. The bags are then removed bythe agent, and the device remains inactive or swung to a diametricallyopposite position, until it is needed again for use. Then its hook andarm are turned about their upright to the position shown inl'Fig. 3, andthe operation is repeated. The same for the agent at the station nearthe post. But in resetting, if either agent have nothing` to deliver heneed not swing out the holding arm at all, and hence all possibility ofaccident is avoided. If neither agent swino out hisholding arm, thehooks obviously7 freely pass each other without the possibility ofaccident or contact. If either should mount a ring in his holding armand swing it out, and the other should omit to swing out-his hook, nofurther complication would arise than that the transfer would not takeplace. Finally, if the posts are properly spaced from the track and thearms and hooks of uniform length, there is no possibility that the partsof any device on a car or a bag carried thereby can strike a post, northe reverse.

lhat is claimed as new is:

l. A mail bag deliverer comprising an arm project-ing substantiallyhorizontally from a support and having a socket in its outer end;combined with a bag holder'having a spur adapted to lit frictionally insaid socket, and a spring carried by the arm and engaging the spur so asto permit its rotation in and withdrawal from the socket.

2. A mail bag deliverer comprising an arm projecting substantiallyhorizontally from al supportand having a socket in its outer end, and aspring carried by the arm with its tip extending partially over themouth of the socket; combined with a bag holder having a spur adapted tofit removn ably in said socket and' provided with a notch engaged bysaid tip.

3. A mail bag deliverer comprising an arm having a socket in its outerend, and means for supporting its inner end and permitting it to swingunder impact; combined with a bag holder having a radial spur round incross section adapted to fit frictionally in said socket, and means forsupporting the bag from the holder at a point below the projected axisof said spur.

l. A mail bag deliverer comprising an arm having a socket in its outerend, a spring carried by the arm and projecting partly into said socket,and means for supporting the arm and permitting it to swing underimpact; combined with a bagholder having a spur adapted to lit removablyin said socket and provided with a notch detachably engaged-by said tip.

5. Ina. mail bag transfer, the combination with an upright rod, a hook journaled thereon and projecting radially therefrom, and

'means for retarding its'rotation around the rod; of an arm journaled onthe rod inde'- pendent of the hook, abag holder comprising a ringadapted to be impaled by the hook, and means for releasably supportingit in upright position at the outer end of the arm.

6. In a mail bag catcher, the combination with an upright rod, a hookjournaled therec-n and projecting radially therefrom, and a plunger andcams for setting the hook oblique to the line of travel in eitherdirection and for retarding its rotation around the red; of a movablecatch automatically closing against-- the tip of the hook, a mail bagholder comprising a ring adapted to lift said catch and beimpaled on thehook, means for releasably supporting the ring in upright position, anda flexible connection be* tween the ring and bag.

7. In a mail bag catcher, the combination with eyes projecting from asupport, an upright rod carried by them, and a spring-actuated plungerbetween them; of a catching arm journaled on the rod, and a cam on thearm having faces either of which when engaged by the plunger will holdsaid aria yieldingly in position oblique to the support.

8. In a mail bag catcher, the combination with eyes projecting from asupport, an up right rod carried by them, and a spring-actuated plunger`between them; of a catching arm mounted on the rod opposite the plunger,and a cam on the arm having two oblique faces and two flat side faces,the former holding the arm oblique and the latter parallel to thesupport when engaged by the plunger.

9. A holder for mail bags and the like comprising a ring having a spur,and a 1ncvable delivering arm releasably supporting said spur; combinedwith a catcher includ ing a hook adapted to engage said ring, and meansfor permitting the hook and arm to be moved to the rear by the impact.

l0. A holder for mail bags and the like comprising a ring having a spur,and a swinging delivering arm releasably supporting said spur; combinedwith a catcher including a swinging hook adapted to engage said ring,and means for permitting the hook and arm to be swung to the rea-raround their supports after engagement with the ring of the hook.

l1. A holder'for mail bags and the like comprising a ring having a spurround in cross section, and a catcher; combined with a delivererincluding an arm having a round socket frictionally receiving said spur,and means for permitting the arm to be moved to the rear as the spur istwisted in and drawn from its socket.

12. A holder for mail bags and the like comprising a ring having a spur,and a catcher; combined with a deliverer including a swinging arm havinga socket radial to its pivot and frictionally receiving said spur, andmeans for permitting the arm to be swung to the rear around its pivotafter impalement of the ring by the catcher.

A holder for mail bags and the like comprising a ring having a spur;combined with handling devices each including an arm having a socketadapted to releasably receive the spur, and a hook adapted to impale thering and standing at an acute angle to its arm, and means for permittingthe arm and hook to be moved by impact.

14. A holder for mail bags and the like comprising a ring having a spur;combined with handling devices each including an upright, an arm thereonhaving a socket releasably receiving the spur, a hook also thereonadapted to impale the ring and standing at an acute angle to its arm,and means for permitting the arm and hook to be swung around the uprightby the impact.

15. A mail bag transfer in duplicate on fixed and movable devices, eachincluding an upright, a catching hook projecting therefrom, a deliveringarm also projecting therefrom at an acute angle to the hook, and meansfor retarding the motion of the hook and arm upon the upright, thecatcher on each device being disposed opposite the deliverer on theother.

16. A mail bag transfer including an upright, a catching hook ournaledthereon, a delivering arm also journaled thereon, and means for settingthe former at dierent oblique angles to the latter.

17. A mail bag transfer device including an upright rod, a catching hookand a delivering arm mounted independently thereon, yielding means forholding the hook in either of two oblique positions, and yielding meansfor holding the arm either parallel with or at right angles to thetrack.

18. A mail bag transfer device including an upright rod, a catching hookand a delivering arm mounted independently thereon, yielding means forholding the hook in either of two oblique positions or parallel with thetrack, and yielding means for holding the arm either parallel with or atright angles .to the track.

19. A mail bag transfer device including a support, an upright carriedthereby and slightly remote therefrom, and two springactuated plungersborne toward the upright; combined with a catching hook and a deliveringarm mounted independently on the upright, and cams on the hook and arm,the former having faces holding the hook in either of two obliquepositions, the latter having a face holding the arm at right angles tothe track, and both having faces adapted to hold their respectivemembers in either of two positions parallel with the track.

20. A mail bag transfer in duplicate on fixed and movable devices, eachincluding an upright, a long delivering arm projecting therefrom atright angles to the track, and a short catching hook projectingtherefrom oblique to the track.

21. A mail bag transfer in duplicate on fixed and movable devices, eachincluding an upright, a long delivering arm and a short catching hookprojecting therefrom and independently mounted thereon, means forsetting the arm at right angles to or parallel with the track, and meansfor setting the hook oblique to or parallel with the track.

22. A mail bag transfer in duplicate on fixed and movable devices, eachincluding an upright, a long delivering arm and a short catching hookindependently mounted thereon, means for yieldingly holding the arm atright angles to the track and permitting it to swing into positionalongside the same, and independent means for yieldingly holding thehook in either of two positions oblique to the track and permitting itto swing into position alongside the same.

23. A mail bag transfer in duplicate on fixed and movable devices, eachincluding an upright carried by a support, and two spring-actuatedplungers borne toward the upright; combined with a catching hook and adelivering arm independently journaled on the upright and of differentlength, cams on the hook having faces adapted by contact with itsplunger to hold it in either of two oblique positions, and cams on thearm having faces adapted by contact with its plunger to hold it eitherat right angles to or parallel with the track.

24. A mail bag transfer including a catching hook and a delivering armindependently mounted on upright pivots, the arm having a socket in itsouter extremit Y; combined with a holder comprising a ring, and a radialspur thereon round in cross section and frictionally litting said socketwhereby when drawn therefrom by the hook impaling the ring the spurtwists in the socket and checks the swing of the hook to the rear.

25. In a mail bag deliverer, the combination with a delivering armhaving a socket in its extremity; of a ring having a spur removablyfitting said socket, a series of eyes fitting loosely over the arm andsupported thereby, and a strap connecting the ring and eyes.

26. A mail bag transfer in duplicate on fixed andv movable devices, eachincluding an upright, a short catching hook journaled thereon andprojecting horizontally therefrom, a longer holding arm journaled on theupright below the hook and its body bent upward so that its tip standssubstantially in the plane of the tip of the hook, and means foryieldingly setting the hooks and arms at different angles.

27. A mail bag transfer in duplicate on setting the hooks and arms atdilerent an 10 fixed and movable devices, each including E gles t0 thetrack. A an upright, a short catching hook journaled In testimonywhereof I have hereunto thereon, a catch above and normally closingsubscribed my signature this the seventeenth against the tip of thehook, a longer holding day of September, A. D. 1909.

arm journaled on the upright below the JOHN L. ADAM. hook and its bodybent upward so that its lVitnesses: tip stands substantially in theplane of the J. ARTHUR CHARBONNET,

tip of the hook, and means for yieldingly F. D. CHARBONNET, Jr.

